Daisy’s Cafe: Next to the Grove Steakhouse is an unassuming, casual restaurant with a tremendously full menu — breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast is served all day, and if the slots put a dent in your pocketbook, the November deals can help ease the pain: $5.95 breakfast and lunch specials and $6.95 for dinner (only specific meals).

Harvest Buffet: The buffet features a variety of salads, pastas, desserts and a rotating carving board menu of all things protein, including tri-tip, sirloin, pork loin, ham and turkey. Normally priced at $9.95, the club card discount is $7.96.

V Lounge: Whether you want to people watch or watch the game on TV — multiple TVs, for that matter — the V Lounge’s circular bar is the place to catch the action while enjoying a drink from the full bar or a nosh from the appetizer menu, such as the beer-battered chicken tenders ($7) or shrimp quesadilla with manchego cheese ($9). Food is only served Friday-Sunday from 4-11 p.m.

Viejas Coffee Bar: If Alpine’s chilly temps are too much for you, you can warm up here with everything from simple coffee to fancier caffeinated fare such as espressos and cappuccinos.

If you like to eat and you like to gamble, there’s nothing better than going to a place where you can do both.

For the gambler, Viejas Casino, about 33 miles east of San Diego, offers 2,500 slot machines and more than 80 gaming tables.

For the hungry gambler, there’s The Grove Steakhouse, tucked into the northeast corner of the casino in between the affordable-but-always-crowded Harvest Buffet and the casual-and-homey Daisy’s Cafe.

The steakhouse feels a bit closed in, with a low ceiling and Disney-style faux trees in the middle of the room. Once the hostess takes you inside, you’re immediately in the dining area. No space to spare here. There’s even a table for two right inside the entrance.

Spatial issues notwithstanding, The Grove Steakhouse lives up to its meaty moniker. There’s an abundance of protein on the menu, everything from filet mignon with peppercorn sauce ($28 for petit filet) to Colorado lamb rack with red currant glaze and deep-fried leeks ($30).

For those who favor something other than meat, there’s pasta (artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes in a chardonnay cream sauce over linguine, $24) and seafood (grilled Chilean sea bass with a cucumber-ginger relish, $32).

Appetizers range from deep-fried chicken wings served with vegetables and buttermilk dressing ($12) to bacon-wrapped shrimp — bacon! — with a honey-mustard dipping sauce ($14). The fried calamari steak ($13) is lightly breaded and served on a bed of coleslaw and topped with a tangy-and-sweet balsamic reduction, along with a side of spicy chili mayonnaise for dipping.

Choosing a dessert is a fun visual experience, with the choices brought to the table in a multitiered cart.

For the budget conscious, there are specially priced pairings that combine some of the restaurant’s best dishes. Choose from roast prime rib or top sirloin and pair that with duck, ribs or scallops.

At this steakhouse, there’s no need to wager on whether the food’s a winner. It is.

GROVE FAVORITES

Perfect pair: For meat lovers, there’s a duet of roasted prime rib and a half rack of BBQ pork ribs ($28). The prime rib, caramelized with herbs, is juicy with just enough seasoning. If it’s not salty enough for you, there’s always the wine au jus. The BBQ ribs fall off the bone and are juicy with a delectable mix of smoky and tangy flavors. There’s a lot of meat on this plate, so be prepared to take some home. A variety of sides are available, including creamy garlic mashed potato, fresh seasonal vegetables and aromatic rice pilaf.

Dynamic duo: This combination is a feast for the eyes and the taste buds ($28). The top sirloin — tender and tasty — is paired well with the pan-seared duck breast. The star of this plate is the duck, seared just right to make the outside perfectly caramelized without being dry inside. The duck is appetizingly complemented by orange-tinged cranberry compote, whose zest rounds out the duck’s flavor. The only downside on my visit? The duck was smothered in compote. Asking that it be served on the side might be a better idea next time. The serving sizes are still big, but for a hungry gambler, this plate is good to the last bite.